The Marian Crusaders had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 35.3 points), and they went ahead and made it four on Thursday. They came out on top against Gretna by a score of 53-44. Given Marian's advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 25th, while Gretna is ranked 152nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Leading Marian to victory were Emelia Daubendiek and Elsa Vedral. Daubendiek scored 13 points along with seven rebounds and two steals, while Vedral scored 19 points along with eight rebounds and five steals. That's the first time this season that Vedral pulled down eight or more rebounds. Another player making a difference was Maggie Tynan, who scored eight points along with seven rebounds and two blocks.
When it comes to explaining why Gretna lost, one person who can't be blamed is Ava Boyce. Despite the final result, she scored 13 points. Emma Martin was another key contributor, scoring eight points.
Marian is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight games, which provided a nice bump to their 10-2 record this season. As for Gretna, they are on a five-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 4-9.
Coincidentally, both teams will both be playing Westview the next time they take the court. Marian will head out to face Westview at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, while Gretna will head out to face them at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.
